Complaint Review: Auto Lemon Detectors of San Antonio

My mother and daughter scheduled a pre-purchase inspection with Auto Lemon Detectors of San Antonio.  Michael Dickinson, the owner of Auto Lemon Detectors, performed the inspection (he was 1 hour late). The vehicle he inspected had 47,000 miles. After Mr. Dickinsons inspection, he stated that the engine and transmission were in good condition and that we should purchase the vehicle for my teenage daughter. We purchased the vehicle and after driving only 15 miles, the engine started smoking and emitted a burning smell, and then stopped, and would not start again. We towed the vehicle to a repair shop and were told that the engine blew a piston and the repairs would be over $7000.

My mother, daughter and I contacted Auto lemon Detectors and talked to Mr. Dickinson. He would not do anything, was never apologetic, and was extremely rude to each of us. He informed me that the cars engine failure was my problem and that I had a bad attitude. He failed to return our subsequent calls and would not accept responsibility for his inadequate and improper inspection, nor would he offer any assistance in helping to correct the matter, or offer to refund us the $150 inspection fee paid to him.

I had the repair shop and an independent ASE Master Technician re-examine the vehicle and they both found sludge and varnish buildup in the engine, which is an indication of very poor maintenance. Mr. Dickinson also failed to document that the master cylinder was leaking with fluid on the brake booster, and the vehicle had previous accident damage.

I have discovered that Mr. Dickinson has been advertising for years that he is an ASE Certified Master Technician (the highest certification for automotive technicians). However, if you contact ASE (www.asecert.org), you find that he was NEVER a Master Technician. In fact, he has NONE of the 8 automotive certifications that are needed to be Master Certified.

Auto Lemon Detectors and Michael Dickinson are defrauding the general public by posing as automotive technical experts. I m alerting the public so no one has to go through the stress and costs that I and my family had to go through.